49ers Face Two Big Road Matches
March 28, 2006
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL | Overall: 17-7/ MPSF: 10-6/ National Rank: #6 | Friday, March 31
Long Beach State at UCLA
7 pm, Los Angeles, CA (Wooden Center)
Internet: www.longbeachstate.com | Saturday, April 1
Long Beach State at UC Irvine
7 pm, Irvine, CA (Crawford Hall)
Internet: www.longbeachstate.com |
THE RECORDS
•Beach looking to climb in MPSF standings
Long Beach State stands at 17-7 overall and 10-6 in the MPSF and will face two big challenges this weekend as they travel to UCLA on Friday and UC Irvine on Saturday in the Black and Blue Rivalry Series presented by Duke's. The 49ers, ranked No. 6 nationally, are in fifth place in the league standings. Long Beach is one-and-a-half games behind fourth-place Pepperdine (13-6). Eighth-ranked UCLA stands at 14-12 overall and 6-10 in the MPSF, good for eighth place. No. 1-ranked UC Irvine is 21-3 overall and is in first place in the league standings at 14-2.
THE COACH
•Alan Knipe in his sixth year at head coach
Alan Knipe (Long Beach State, 1992) is 115-62 (.650) in his sixth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Knipe was an assistant at LBSU for five years before taking over the program in 2001.
THE SERIES
•49ers trail series vs. UCLA 69-26
•49ers lead series with UCI 30-5
Long Beach State trails in its series with UCLA by a 69-26 count, but the 49ers have won the last three matches against the Bruins. On January 7 the 49ers won 25-30, 36-34, 30-25, 30-22 in the championship match of the UCSB E-Bar Invitational. On February 25 the 49ers won 30-23, 30-20, 30-21 in the Walter Pyramid. Long Beach leads in its series with UC Irvine by a 30-5 margin but the Anteaters won the first meeting this season, claiming a 26-30, 30-27, 32-30, 30-26 win in the Walter Pyramid on February 24.
BLACK & BLUE RIVALRY SERIES
•LBSU leads 21-17
Saturday's match will be another installment of the Black and Blue Rivalry Series presented by Duke's between Long Beach State and UC Irvine. Long Beach currently leads the first-year rivalry series by a count of 21-17. UCI won the first meeting between the two in men's volleyball on February 24 in Long Beach. UCI received three points for that road win. If Long Beach can win on Friday they will earn three points for a road victory. If UCI wins they get two points. The two schools are also facing each other in baseball this weekend at Blair Field in a three-game series. The winner of the series (two-out-of-three) receives the points.
49ERS FALL TO CS NORTHRIDGE
•Matadors rally after losing first two games
The 49ers played just one match last week and fell at home to CS Northridge 30-23, 30-20, 24-30, 32-34, 12-15. Duncan Budinger tied his career-high with 28 kills and Robert Tarr added 21, but CSUN rebounded after a tough first two games to come away with the win. Dan Rhodes led CSUN with 21 kills and Brian Waite added 18. CSUN hit .338 for the match, but hit .406 (52-13-96) in games three, four and five. The 49ers hit .302 in the match. Long Beach had a season-high 11 service aces, three by Teddy Liles, but were out-dug (43-41) and out-blocked (11.5-10.0) in the match.
UC IRVINE FACTS
•Anteaters ranked No. 1 in the nation
UC Irvine, ranked No. 1 in the nation, stands at 21-3 overall and 14-2 in the MPSF. The Anteaters have won 15 in a row since a January 27 three-game loss at Hawaii. Leading the way are Matt Webber and Jayson Jablonsky. Webber is averaging 4.81 kills and 1.44 digs per game while hitting .291. Jablonsky checks in at 4.26 kills and 1.67 digs per game with a .358 hitting percentage. Aaron Harrell rounds out a balanced UCI attack with 2.34 kills and 1.27 blocks per game while hitting .471. Setter Brian Thornton is averaging 13.94 assists per game. As a team UCI is averaging 16.19 kills per game and owns a .328 hitting percentage.
WALTER PYRAMID ADVANTAGE
•49ers 7-3 at home this year
The Walter Pyramid has been kind to the 49ers as they are 7-3 at home this season. Last year the 49ers were 13-2 at home and in 2004 they were 15-2. In the last two-plus years the 49ers are 35-7 (.833) at home. Overall since 1995 the 49ers are 134-35 (.793) at home.
49ERS IN NATIONAL STATS
• Hildebrand No. 2 in assists per game
The 49ers have several players ranked in the latest national statistics. Senior Robert Tarr ranks No. 5 in kills per game at 5.07 and No. 5 in points per game at 5.78. Tyler Hildebrand ranks No. 2 nationally at 13.76 assists per game, Teddy Liles is No. 12 in blocks per game (1.33) and Duncan Budinger is No. 16 in hitting percentage at .411.
THREE AND OUT IS GOOD
•Beach has recorded nine 3-0 sweeps
The 49ers have recorded nine 3-0 sweeps this season, most recently accomplishing the feat against Ohio State on March 18. In those nine outings the 49ers have hit an impressive .408 (474-123-860) and limited their opponents to a .219 (387-192-890) hitting percentage.
HITTING PROWESS
•49ers hitting .332 as a team
The 49ers are hitting an impressive .332 on the season as a team, a mark which ranks No. 4 in the country. They have hit .300 or better in 16 of their 24 matches. In seven of their last eight matches they have hit .356 or better, topping the .400 mark four times (UCLA, UCSB, Pepperdine, Ohio State). Overall the 49ers have hit .400 or better eight times this season. The top hitting output came in the opener against USC at the UCSB Tournament as the 49ers hit an impressive .526 (60-9-97). In the over Ohio State the 49ers hit .485 (59-12-97).
HILDEBRAND NO. 2 IN NATION IN ASSISTS
•Second all-time with 6,231 assists
Senior Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, AZ) moved up to the No. 2 spot all-time at Long Beach State on March 17 and after 57 assists vs. CS Northridge he stands at 6,231 career assists. This season he is averaging 13.76 assists per game, a mark which stands No. 2 in the nation. He had a season-high 74 assists in the five-game win over CS Northridge. Besides dishing out assists, Hildebrand is hitting .404 and averaging 1.25 digs and 0.80 blocks per outing. He was named to the Active Ankle All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.14 assists per game in the two victories. Long Beach also hit a combined .410 (130-36-229) in the victories. Hildebrand needs just 94 more assists to pass Jason Stimpfig's career mark of 6,324.
TARR NO. 6 ALL-TIME IN KILLS
•Fifth in nation at 5.07 kills per game
Senior Robert Tarr (Rockledge, FL) currently ranks No. 5 in the nation in kill average at 5.07 per game. He also is No. 5 in points per game at 5.78. Tarr had 21 kills and hit .317 in last Friday's five-game loss to CS Northridge. In MPSF matches, Tarr checks in at 4.90 kills per game, second-best in the league. He has hit double-digits in kills 23 times this season and he has 20 or more kills in 11 of the 24 matches. He is also averaging 1.72 digs and 0.83 blocks per game while hitting .324. Tarr also is first on the team with 24 service aces. Tarr surpassed the 1,000 career kill mark in the second match of the season and currently stands at No. 6 all-time with 1,415 career kills. Tarr, an all-tournament pick at the UCSB/E-Bar Tournament, recorded a season-high 35 kills against CS Northridge in the tournament semi-finals. He was also named to the all-tournament team at the Active Ankle Classic.
BUDINGER HITS 1,000 CAREER KILLS
•Stands at No. 14 all-time in kills
Senior Duncan Budinger (Encinitas, CA) has been on a tear providing offensive firepower for the 49ers. Since moving to the opposite position from middle blocker on February 17, Budinger is averaging 5.28 kills per game (211 kills in 40 games) in his last 10 outings. Friday vs. CS Northridge he tied his previous career-high by pounding down 28 kills. He has recorded 28 kills in three matches this season. Budinger was the MVP of the Active Ankle Classic, averaging 6.0 kills per game in the two wins and hitting .478 (42-10-67). He tied his career-high on Saturday with 28 kills against Ohio State and hit .590 (28-5-39). With 1,105 career kills he stands at No. 14 all-time at LBSU. Overall this year Budinger has been exceptional, averaging 3.79 kills and 1.04 blocks per game while hitting .411. He has 15 outings this year where he has hit .400 or better and seven outings hitting .500 or higher. Budinger is second on the team with 18 matches with double figures in kills. Nationally, Budinger is No. 16 in the country in hitting percentage (.411). In MPSF matches he is seventh in hitting percentage (.403) and tenth in kills per game (4.15). Budinger continues to rank No. 1 at LBSU in hitting percentage as he now stands at .453. He also moved up to No. 8 in career blocking with 372 blocks.
LILES AT THE NET
•First on team with 117 blocks
Junior Teddy Liles (Tucson, AZ) has been having a solid season for the 49ers. He is first on the team in blocking with 117 blocks (1.33 bpg). In Friday's match vs. CS Northridge he had four block assists and three service aces. Liles is averaging 2.06 kills per game and is hitting an impressive .395. He ranks fifth in the MPSF in blocking at 1.39 blocks per game in conference outings. Nationally he ranks No. 12 in blocking. Liles was named to the UCSB/E-Bar All-Tournament team after averaging 2.50 kills and 1.92 blocks per game and hitting .521 (30-5-48). In the championship match win over UCLA he had 11 kills and 12 blocks while hitting .526 (11-1-19). The 12 blocks against the Bruins was a career-high for him.
CAPED CRUSADER
•Career-high 14 kills vs. UC Irvine
Junior Kevin Cape (Long Beach) has stepped into the starting rotation for the 49ers with the move of Duncan Budinger to opposite. Cape had a career-high 14 kills and hit .591 (14-1-22) against UC Irvine on February 24 and then came back with eight kills while hitting .727 (8-0-11) vs. UCLA (2/25). Friday against CSUN he tallied six kills and three blocks. In the 49ers five-game loss at CS Northridge on March 3 he tallied 13 kills and a career-high tying six blocks. Cape has started the last 10 matches for the 49ers and currently stands at 2.05 kills per game while hitting .430.
LOTMAN RECORDS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE
•Career-high 16 kills vs. USC
Sophomore Paul Lotman (Lakewood) is averaging 2.21 kills and 1.78 digs per game this season for the 49ers. Lotman had four kills and a team-high nine digs last Friday vs. CS Northridge. Lotman recorded a career-high 16 kills in the win over USC on January 27 while hitting .440 (16-5-25). He also had four block assists and a career-high 12 digs, giving him his first double-double as a 49er. Lotman had hit double digits in kills four times this year, with two coming against USC (13 in opener). His 160 digs (1.78 dpg) are first on the squad this season and he has led the 49ers in digs eight times this season. Lotman has also contributed 19 service aces, a mark which is tied for second on the team.
VALDEZ SHINES VS. RUTGERS
•Career-high 16 kills vs. USC
Sophomore Francisco Valdez (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic) played just two games against Rutgers-Newark but he finished with 13 kills and hit .722 (13-0-18). He also added four digs. The double-figure kill match was his fifth of the season. Valdez recorded a career-high 16 kills in the 49ers four-game win over USC on January 27. He added eight digs and five blocks while hitting .344 (16-5-32). Valdez had 11 kills and two block assists in the win over UC San Diego (2/10). Valdez is averaging 1.53 kills and 0.82 digs per game while hitting .201. He is fourth on the team in service aces with 13.
CALDWELL IN THE BACK ROW
•First on team with 176 digs
Junior libero Tyler Caldwell (Hermosa Beach) has played great in the back row for the 49ers this season. Caldwell had nine digs last Friday vs. CS Northridge. Caldwell had accumulated a career-best 12 digs four times this season. He has hit double figures in digs a team-best eight times. Caldwell ranks sixth in the MPSF in digs per game at 2.28 in MPSF matches. Overall, Caldwell is averaging 2.07 digs per game and he's dished out 29 assists in 85 games.
SCHLESINGER SEES FIRST ACTION
•Five assists vs. Rutgers-Newark
Sophomore setter Adam Schlesinger (Newport Beach) saw his first action of the season against Rutgers-Newark on March 17. He played in two games and tallied a career-best five assists as the 49ers won in four games. Schlesinger played in just three matches and five games last season recording a total of three assists and one dig.
2006 Roster
2006 Schedule/Results |
